By Jeff Altman, Big Game Hunter
If the video cannot be played properly please click here
If a company rejects me when I apply directly, but an employment agency calls me again a few months later for the same position, should I continue to apply or tell them that I applied to the company before and was immediately rejected?
Three principles to apply when considering a career change
“If a company rejects me when I apply directly, but then a few months later an agency calls me for the same position, should I keep applying or tell them that I applied to that company before and was immediately rejected?” I like this question because, number one, it gives me a chance to say to someone: don’t cheat the agency on their fees. That’s what you have to do at this point go directly to the employer. You don’t know that jobs have reopened because it could be months later. You have no idea this job would be there without them. The person you’re contacting might have a wife or a husband or a partner, might have kids, a mortgage; they’ve got to at least pay rent, right? They have bills and you take food out of their mouths. You withdraw funds from their bank account by applying directly, obtaining their information and using it for your own benefit.
I know people don’t like recruiters, but you know, they have reasons to dislike a lot of you, too. What do you mean? Because a lot of you are thinking that way – like you’re going to save the company money and they’re going to want to hire you because of it. No, that’s not the case. Maybe that was true in the 1970s when I first got into search, but not anymore. So let them do their job and tell them you applied directly a few months ago and got rejected and you want to politely let them know.
“Why were you rejected?” “I don’t know, I got a rejection letter.” You know, at some companies, because the system is automated, they may have to apply through the applicant tracking system on your behalf, and they may say, “Is your email address different from the email address you used to apply for the position?” The reason they do that is to get around the barriers that the company may have in accepting their recommendation. You see, one of the simple ways these systems track previous resume referrals is through your email address. So what you need to be prepared to do is give them an alternate email address that forwards to your real email address, allowing them to resubmit you. So don’t just go there; don’t do that kind of thing. This is not the right thing to do.
About Big Game Hunter Jeff Altman
Jeff Altman, Big Game Hunter is a coach who has been a recruiter for a hundred years. His work involves career coaching, as well as executive job coaching, job coaching, and interview coaching. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 job search podcast on iTunes with over 2,000 episodes, and is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council.
Are you interested in 1:1 coaching, interview coaching, advice on networking more effectively, how to negotiate job opportunities, or leadership coaching? SSchedule a free Discovery call.
If you want to learn how to interview like a pro, order “The Ultimate Job Interview Framework” from udemy.com www.TheBigGameHunter.us/interviews. Kindle and print editions are available on Amazon.
Connect with me on LinkedIn. Like me on Facebook.
You can order the Kindle version of “Diagnosing Your Job Search Problem” on Amazon and get the free Kindle versions of “No-BS Resume Advice” and “Interview Preparation”. If you’re starting your search, order “Get Ready for the Work Jungle.”
Don’t forget to give the show 5 stars and give it a thumbs up in iTunes. It helps others discover the show like you did.
Jeff Altman owns the copyrights to the No BS Job Search Advice Radio podcast, the Job Search Radio Podcast, The No BS Coaching Advice podcast, JobSearchTV.com and other content, all rights reserved, as well as his publicity rights.
